Education
Ph.D. Anthropology, University of California, Irvine, 2015
M.A. Anthropology, University of California, Irvine, 2013
B.A. Gender Studies, University of Chicago, 2002
Biography
Dr. Lydia Z. Dixon specializes in qualitative and ethnographic research in the field of women’s health and reproduction. She received her Ph.D. and MA in Anthropology, with an emphasis in the Anthropologies of Medicine, Science and Technology, from the University of California, Irvine, and her B.A. in Gender Studies from the University of Chicago. She incorporates the diverse perspectives learned during her years working as a researcher, practitioner and employee in healthcare settings in the US and Mexico into her Health Science courses at CSUCI.
Dr. Dixon’s primary research focus has been on childbirth in Mexico. She began working with midwives there in 2002 as an intern, doula and volunteer. She then went on to conduct her doctoral research with midwifery students, birth activists, physicians, and educators from across Mexico between 2008-2012. This research has led to publications related to midwifery education, maternal mortality in Mexico, and obstetric violence. More recently, Dr. Dixon has begun a new research project looking at cesarean births in Mexican public hospitals.
In addition to her work in Mexico, Dr. Dixon has conducted ethnographic research on community health workers in Los Angeles County.
Dr. Dixon has also published under the surname Zacher Dixon.
Representative Courses Taught
- HLTH 102 Community Health Organizations and Their Functions
- HLTH 307 Issues and Ethics in the Helping Profession
- HLTH 309 Health Science Research Methods
- HLTH 101 Introduction to the US Healthcare System
- HLTH 499 Senior Capstone Project
Scholarship
Keywords
Women's Health, Mexico, Midwifery, Reproduction, Obstetric Violence, Community Health, Ethnography